St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
12-1 (3-0BE)
[23/RV] Seton Hall
13-2 (2-1BE)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seton Hall | 26 | 24 | 50 |
| St. John's | 31 | 28 | 59 |
Defensive Dominance Downs No. 23 Seton Hall, 59-50
1/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
QUEENS, N.Y. - The top defensive squad in the conference heading into Friday night's contest with Seton Hall, the Red Storm (12-1, 3-0 BIG EAST) held the Pirates without a point for over nine minutes down the stretch, taking down the 23rd ranked team in the nation at home, 59-50.
With a win over the Pirates (13-2 2-1 BIG EAST), Head Coach Joe Tartamella claimed the program's first win over a ranked opponent at home since Jan. 7, 2012, when the Red Storm downed No. 7 Rutgers in Carnesecca Arena.
"This was a great basketball game for our league," said Tartamella. "I'm glad that both teams played as hard as they did and lived up to the expectations of the game. Seton Hall has been unbelievable all year. I'm very proud of our young ladies. I thought our resiliency throughout the game was just so good. I couldn't be prouder of this group. When you play these games, especially in the BIG EAST, you put the stats and the records out of it and you just play. That's the beauty of the league. This was a very exciting win on our home floor."
Senior forward Amber Thompson had a career night in more ways than one to lead the Red Storm to victory. The Newark, N.J., native pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds, propelling herself into first place on the St. John's all-time rebounding list with 875, passing Dianne Pugh (868). Thompson's 20 boards were the third-highest single-game total in program history and the first 20-plus rebound game since Shenneika Smith tallied 21 on Nov. 25, 2011 against Iowa. Thompson also added 12 points to record her second double-double of the season.
The top scoring duo in the BIG EAST, Danaejah Grant and Aliyyah Handford each finished in double figures for the Red Storm, scoring 17 and 14 points, respectively. Grant, who played all 40 minutes, added five boards and a pair of assists, while Handford chipped in six boards and three helpers.
Aaliyah Lewis filled up the stat sheet against the Pirates, finishing the contest with nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a full 40 minutes of action. The Staten Island, N.Y., native finished just one shy of her career-high in both rebounds and assists.
Sophomore forward Jade Walker added six points and six rebounds in the victory.
The Red Storm came out of the gate on fire, connecting on five of its first seven attempts from the floor and jumping out to a 10-4 lead just over two minutes into the action.
After starting two-for-eight from the floor, Seton Hall started getting shots to fall, narrowing the St. John's lead to just three, 16-13, on a Tabatha Richardson-Smith runner through the lane four minutes later.
From there, Grant went on a solo 5-0 run for the Red Storm, giving her team a 21-13 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
Aided by a three-pointer from Aaliyah Lewis, St. John's bumped its lead to as many as 12, 27-15, holding the Pirates with a point for 4:24 between the 10:48 and 6:24 marks of the first half.
The Pirates narrowed the deficit toward the end of the half, turning in a 7-1 run over the period's final 2:22. Following the Seton Hall tear, the Red Storm entered the locker room with a 31-26 lead.
Seton Hall carried its scoring streak over to the beginning of the second stanza, netting the half's first nine points and grabbing a 35-31 advantage just two and a half minutes into the period.
Following a Tartamella timeout, Handford and Grant combined for four unanswered, tying up the contest at 35. A few minutes later, the Red Storm would reclaim the lead with a Walker layup, moving ahead 39-38 with just under 14 minutes to go.
With the scored tied at 41, the Pirates rattled off five in-a-row over the course of two minutes, moving ahead 46-41 near the midway mark of the half.
Trailing 48-43 soon thereafter, the Red Storm scored six unanswered to re-gain the lead, 49-48, with seven and a half minutes remaining. Thompson and Grant tallied three points apiece during that tear.
With no shortage of physical play between the two squads, both St. John's and Seton Hall struggled to find the bottom of the bucket over the ensuing five minutes of action.
Handford finally broke that cold streak at the 2:35 mark, banking one off glass and putting the Johnnies ahead 51-48. 30 seconds later, Lewis hustled to take control of a 50/50 ball in the defensive zone and took it the length of the floor for a fastbreak layup. After taking a charge on the ensuing possession, a Handford layup gave the Red Storm a seven-point lead, 55-48, with 105 seconds left on the clock. Another layup from Grant capped the Red Storm's long run at 14-0.
St. John's returns to action on Sunday, facing off against No. 2 Connecticut in Madison Square Garden at the Maggie Dixon Classic.
